Outsider
by JanessaBess
Summary: After a a scouting mission outside the walls the Recon Corps discovers Katherina, a young woman from a village thousands of miles away who has managed to live for the last two years in titan territory. After Darius Zackly grants Hanji and the Survey Corps custody of the woman to study her and what she knows of the outside world things start to get a little tense.
1. Chapter 1

"You were found in a tree? Without three dimensional maneuver gear how did you get up there?"

Katherina looked at the man confused. She wished someone would take the chains off her wrists but it appeared that no one gave a damn whether they were biting into her flesh or not. "I climbed, sir."

"Climbed? Whatever for?"

"If you have height on them it's much easier to take them down."

A few of the military court members sucked in breaths of shock; a woman without 3D maneuver gear taking down titans?

"How exactly did you plan on taking them down?" one of the leaders asked.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe with the twin swords that you took from me when you decided I was a threat," Katherina spit back.

A murmur came over the room with the shock of her tone. She knew these men were high in rank and doubted that they were talked to this way often but they were not her superiors and she had little respect for men who put women in chains simply for defending their own lives. A man on the left side of the room stood up.

"Where did you come from?" he asked her. "I mean to say where is your place or origin?"

"I'm not from within these walls if that's what you're asking. My village was small, had walls of its own, not nearly as high as yours though. They were broken by a scourge of titans about two years ago. There were a few survivors but most died of infections from their injuries."

"You were the lone survivor?" another man asked.

Katherina shrugged. "As far as I know. I've been alone for the past two years. My capture by your military was my first contact with another human since then."

The entire room became a buzz with questions flying from all directions. A few of the men stayed silent, waiting to hear from the man that appeared to be the leader of the entire court. After a few moments of Katherina straining to hear specific questions a woman stepped out onto the floor and walked towards her. A hush fell over the room as a few men leaned in to whisper to their neighbour about the situation.

"Do you have a name?" the woman asked her pleasantly.

"I was called Katherina in my village."

"Ah, Katherina! I am Hanji and I'm the squad leader of survey corps," she explained adjusting her glasses while motioning towards a group of people on the right side of the room. "We have been granted tentative permission to induct you into our squad to learn as much from you as possible about the farthest world outside our walls!"

Was it just Katherina, or did this woman seem ridiculously happy about the whole situation? Everyone else had grim looks on their faces, some expressed curiosity at best but Hanji seemed overjoyed.

"But before we take you to our headquarters the entire military would like to find out some of our answers as well!"

Katherina nodded, not sure if she even had a choice. She resisted the temptation to roll her eyes.

"How was it that your village was able to keep the titans out?"

Katherina sighed. She hadn't known much about the walls or the life of the village in general. She had never gone to school or been educated by anyone aside from her parents.

"I suppose the walls were slightly taller than the largest titans we had encountered. Not nearly as high as yours, but high enough that we never had a problem."

"How high would you say?"

Katherina tilted her head back, "Mmm, maybe half as high. Maybe a little less."

"Incredible," Hanji said shaking her head in amazement. "And they were breached two years ago? How did that happen?"

"Two years ago. Yes… I believe I was 22 years old and… Riders who scavenged outside the walls claimed that a large group of titans was heading for the walls. The skilled prepared for a fight but it was useless. The wall was destroyed within minutes and most of the village was devoured… I saved my friend and my auntie, both had limbs missing from being bitten off. They died within days of the breach."

"So you have been alone since then? How did you survive? How are you sure it's been two years?"

"I guess, I survived like anyone did before the titans appeared," she shrugged. "I became a skilled hunter, I fished in the rivers. I learned how to avoid the titans and eventually discovered that by using higher vantage points I could take them down by the weak point on their necks. Moon phases passed, just like in the village and I kept moving constantly; I never stay in the same place. I wouldn't even know how to find my village again."

Hanji looked disappointed. "You never discovered another weak point?" Katherina shook her head.

"The people in my village knew about the neck; that was all I knew as well. Though we didn't generally fight them, sometimes men who wanted to prove something would leave the walls. People rarely returned though."

Before Hanji could ask any more questions, the man who appeared to be in charge ordered silence in the room.

"That will be all for now. Squad leader you may take this, Katherina, back to headquarters with you. I'm sure between Eren and her you'll have a heyday."

Hanji let out a squeal as she took Katherina by the elbow and led her out the door. She was already mumbling about all the things that she might be able to learn from someone who had spent two years in titan territory.

By the time the two reached the stables where the horses were located Katherina had all but completely tuned the woman out. A man appeared from inside the stall leading two horses by the reins. When he held one out to her he realized her hands were still chained behind her back and motioned to Hanji to free them.

"Oh! How rude of me," she giggled. "All this chit chat and I've left you all locked up!"

"Does the brat know how to ride a horse," a man with her identical height asked as he mounted his own animal.

Katherina stared him down as she locked in on his gaze, and flung herself into the saddle. Truthfully it had been over two years since she had ridden a horse but she wasn't about to let that show. The man smirked at her and kicked his horse forward, gaining speed quickly. Before she even had a chance to worry about her ability, she too was riding fast; the two were matching pace, the rest of the squad far behind them. The man was urging his horse forward, trying to pull ahead. Instead Katherina ducked low, squeezed with her thighs and watched as her horse's stride increased in speed before slightly over taking him.

She heard him grunt and was turning to smirk in his direction when suddenly she went flying forward into the air. Her horse stumbled, tripping and rolling across the ground while Katherina flew forward. In midair she attempted to turn herself around so that she could land on her feet when a shoulder caught her in the ribs and knocked the wind out of her.

"I was fine," she griped as the short man set her down. She turned away from him immediately and walked over to inspect her horse, still lying on the ground from the fall.

"He's lame," the man told her in a blasé tone. "You pushed him too hard I guess."

Katherina rounded on him, shouting right in his face, "If you hadn't been trying to outride me it wouldn't have happened."

The man shook his head. "Don't try to pin this on me. Get on the back of my horse brat."

Katherina was pissed. What an asshole! If he was going to play these games she was going to be the victor.

As she went to mount his horse he caught her leather boot in his hand and lifted her onto the rear of the saddle.

"You know, I don't need your help. I survived two years on my own. I think I'll be fine mounting a horse."

The man shrugged and snapped the reins and the horse began building up in speed, although not nearly as fast as before her fall. By now the rest of the squad was catching up and Hanji road up beside the two.

"Oh look Levi, you made a friend who's just as grumpy as you!"

"Piss off Hanji," the man, apparently called Levi, answered and kicked his horse to move out of earshot of the brunette.


	2. Chapter 2

When the group arrived at what appeared to be an old castle, Katherina dismounted before Levi and immediately started walking away from the man. It had been two whole years since she had come face to face with another human until early this morning and she was already wishing that she had been eaten by titans. She could feel Levi's eyes boring into her back and as she reached up to sweep her hair over her shoulder she gave him the finger. She had no idea where she was going, she just wanted away from him. Luckily Hanji had dismounted her horse and was ready to strike up a conversation.

"I'm sure after sleeping in titan territory for so long having a place to stay will feel nice!"

Katherina nodded. "Honestly, I don't even remember what a bed feels like." And it was true. The closest she had gotten to a bed was the occasionally cliff side cave that she could pile dried grass and leaves in and be safe from titan grasps for a few hours. Truthfully, she didn't even know what it was going to feel like sleeping through a whole night for the first time in two years.

* * *

As it turned out, she wasn't going to find out anyway. After Hanji had led her to her room, found some clothing for her to wear and showed her where she could wash up, Katherina had finally slipped off all of her clothes and slid under the covers of her bed. It was nicer than any bed she had ever had before, and definitely nicer than sleeping on rough tree bark or rocks. But hour after hour slid by and no matter how tired she felt, she stayed wide awake. Annoyed she slid on a long sleeved shirt the squad leader had given her. It was obviously a man's shirt and it fell over her body like a dress so she didn't even bother pulling on the pants she had handed her with it.

She snuck down to the kitchen in just the shirt, not worried about getting caught, instead she was preoccupied with what she might find when she made it to the kitchen. It had been two years since she had bread, or any sort of real vegetables. She had foraged berries and roots and fished and hunted, but she couldn't deny missing rolls, potatoes, beans… Her mouth was watering just thinking of what she might be able to get her hands on. She wasn't even paying attention when she ran smack into someone.

"Oof," she uttered as she bounced back off the persons chest.

"Shhhh!" the person whispered.

"Sorry, I didn't think there'd be anyone here…" Katherina whispered, worried the person was going to turn her in. Until she realized the girl in front of her was chewing something too.

"Not supposed to be," she said taking a bite out of what appeared to be a sausage. "Want some?"

Katherina nodded furiously.

* * *

"I'm Sasha, by the way," the girl told her after they'd eaten more than half the contents of the dry storage cupboard.

"Katherina."

"I heard about you. Everyone has by now. The girl who was living outside the walls," Sasha said, openly portraying her interest.

"That's me," Katherina responded.

"What was that like?"

"Well, it wasn't fun, as you can probably imagine."

Sasha let out a laugh before covering her mouth in shock; realizing she had been far too loud.

It was too late though. Sasha started grabbing what was left on the table and shoving it back into the cupboard while footsteps echoed down the stairwell. Katherina tried to follow suite but a short dark figure appeared in the kitchen doorway before she could even make it to the cupboard.

"You pig. Can't even wait a few hours until breakfast?" Levi said before pushing Sasha out of the way to inspect the cupboard.

Katherina stepped back, unsure of what to expect from the man. Her movement caught his eye and his gaze shifted from the cupboard to Katherina and then back to the half empty cupboard.

"I expected this from the potato girl," he observed.

Katherina's eyes closed in shame. "I'm so sorry Lance Corporal. I was tired, and a bit hungry… I came down and I guess I missed food so much that I –"

"Just shut up and go back to bed. Both of you," Levi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

"Yes sir," Sasha replied as Katherina nodded.

The two girls climbed the stairs without another word to each other and gave a solemn wave when they parted to go to their separate rooms. Katherina wondered what punishment the Lance Corporal would dole out to the pair tomorrow. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep, but still she lay on her bed, watching the shadow of a tree branch dance on the moonlit wall across from her. It had been so long since she had felt safe like this. Her body wasn't used to it and every few minutes she still found herself looking over her shoulder out the window, as if she might see a titan or some other threat sneaking up on her.

A knock at her door brought her out of her reverie. Assuming it was Sasha, whom she had just parted with less than twenty minutes before, she opened the door still wearing nothing but the men's shirt she had pulled on to go to the kitchen. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as the open door revealed Levi, who pushed past her into her room, a lantern in his hand.

"Did I wake you?" he asked in a bored tone.

"No. I was still awake." Katherina responded, unable to meet his eyes. "I haven't been able to sleep. I think, I mean, I guess I'm just not used to sleeping much. I haven't felt safe enough to sleep in a long time." She sighed.

"That's what I thought," Levi declared, as if he'd somehow known all along.

Finally, Katherina looked at him. "Look, if you're here to give me trouble or punish me, that's fine. I'm sorry I ate so much. I'll take whatever punishment you give me." For some reason she felt like she couldn't appear weak in front of him. Admitting that she had missed food, explaining that she couldn't sleep; those things made her look weak. She refused to be seen as anything less than an equal to Levi; a woman who had withstood trials and triumphed in the face of death and at the hands of titans.

"I have no intention of punishing you," Levi spoke up, meeting her eyes. "Sasha, on the other hand will receive punishment as she always does when she steals from the dry storage cupboard. I can't imagine what it must have been like, living alone for two years in titan territory. Because of that, anything you do now, or through the next few weeks, will be completely understandable in my eyes."

Katherina was taken aback. She didn't know much about Levi, but from what she had seen he was a hard and seemingly uncaring person. Yet here he was, showing compassion and sympathy towards her.

"T-thank you," was all she could respond.

The two stood awkwardly by her bedroom door and as the minutes passed by and Levi still hadn't left, Katherina grew even more uncomfortable. It seemed like so long ago since she had a conversation with another person, let alone a conversation about her emotions or her life. She had already felt awkward speaking with Hanji and Sasha just from the sheer foreignness of human contact, but Levi's strange manner and the concerned look on his face was giving her a feeling she didn't recognize at all.

"Goodnight then, I suppose," Levi said, breaking the silence. He turned away from her and was walking through the door but the feeling wasn't receding with him.

"Wait," Katherina said.

"Do you need something more to eat," he quipped, a small grin playing across his lips.

She had figured out the feeling he had been giving her. It hadn't been awkwardness but rather the opposite. He was making her feel comfortable; more comfortable and more safe and cared for than she had felt in a long time.

"Maybe, you could just stay here tonight?"


	3. Chapter 3

"We don't have to talk or anything… I could just use the company."

Levi nodded at her and set his lantern down beside an old wooden chair. He moved to the side of the room then, opening a cupboard and retrieving a few items before crossing back over to the chair. He threw a sketch book and a pencil onto the bed and sat down with his legs crossed and his own pad perched on his knee.

Katherina eyed him warily. How could he have known of her love of sketching? It was impossible and yet somehow, it was like he had read her mind. She moved to sit on the bed when he gestured she should follow his lead and she opened the pad and sat cross legged as she stared at the man in the chair bewildered.

"I find it helps pass time," Levi said opening his sketch pad. "I'll do you, and you can do me."

Katherina choked at his wording. He mistook it for modesty, "It's okay; I won't punish you if you draw me like a pig." There was that little smirk again.

She didn't return the look, but instead pursed her lips as she flipped open the sketch book and began to outline his figure. She saw his head dip to his own paper and his pencil began to move as well.

The silence stretched on and on between them, and the lantern burned as their only source of light. As Katherina outlined Levi's torso her mind wandered to what his body must look like; strengthened by the three-dimensional maneuvering equipment, toned from years of fighting titans. When she moved to his face she wondered at his age. His height didn't quite match the weariness in his eyes, although she imagined she must look much older than her twenty four years.

As time moved her pencil across the page, Levi's form began to appear; becoming more and more realistic. It felt like only moments had passed when dawn's first light began spilling through the window and pouring over the form she had created on her page. Finally, as the sun reached over the horizon fully, she set her pencil down, stretched, and rubbed her eyes.

A knock at the door brought the two back to reality. Katherina stood to answer it but Levi motioned for her to sit back down.

"Come in, shitty-glasses." The door creaked on its hinges.

"Oh, Levi, I didn't expect to see you here…" Hanji spoke up, her eyes shifting between Katherina and Levi.

"Don't read too much into it four eyes," Levi responded, looking disdainfully out the bedroom window.

Hanji cleared her throat and fixed her glasses before speaking directly to Katherina.

"Katherina, today I'm going to show you around the headquarters, we'll find you something more appropriate to wear then an oversized men's uniform and all during that I'll be taking notes while you tell me all about your life outside of the walls! Sound fun?"

Katherina rubbed her eyes more. What would sound fun would be being able to sleep like a normal person while dwelling safely inside these walls.

Apparently Hanji wasn't waiting for an answer though because she grabbed Katherina's hand and pulled her past Levi and out the bedroom door before the girl even had a chance to pull the oversized pants on.

Levi shook his head at their departure and set the sketch pad next to Katherina's on the bed. But before he left he glanced at the image on her page and what he saw stunned him. It wasn't a portrait of his pose, which he had expected. Instead it was a stunning drawing of himself; he stood with the paper in his hands taking in the form drawn there, wondering how Katherina had seen the small details that most others would have missed.

On the page, his form was drawn sitting, legs crossed with his chin rested on his fist as if in deep thought. He was wearing nothing but his pants and three dimensional maneuver gear; she had left his torso completely bare and taken her time to sketch the muscles that she had guessed were there. His Recon Corps cloak was folded neatly over the back of his chair and the girl had even taken the time to shade and create shadow and definition in his figure. He was in awe of the way she had portrayed him and a part of him wanted to take the picture with him as he left the room, but he thought better of it, instead picking up his lantern and closing the door behind him on his way out.

* * *

"So when you first saw a titan when you were alone, how did you feel?"

Hanji was just handing Katherina dress to change into and right now she was more concerned about how she was to go about doing anything in such a long garment.

"Don't you have anything, uh, shorter? I mean, can't I wear pants, like you?"

"You're not a part of the Survey Corps so you can't wear the uniform. I picked this dress from another girl in the squad. She's a few inches taller than you, but it's really not that long."

Katherina mentally flinched away from the idea of wearing a dress. She had truthfully worn very little when she had been living in titan territory. Especially in the hotter seasons of the areas she had roamed. She learned to stay farther south than snow ever touched and so for the most part she was able to wear nothing at all, perhaps the dress she had torn to show higher than mid-thigh. As she stepped behind the dressing screen, pulling off the men's uniform shirt she realized that the dress didn't offer much in the way of coverage for the scars covering her arms; left by tumbles down rock faces, falling from tall trees. The dress did manage to hide the worst of the scars though, a spot on her back where a four meter titan had managed her sink his teeth, tearing the flesh away. She had thought surely infection would set in and she would die, but somehow she had made it through.

"I mean, you must have felt scared, of course. But you watched the last two humans, to your knowledge, be killed by titans and then it was just you."

Oh, Hanji was still talking.

"I just did. I didn't know what else there was for me to do. Every time I thought of giving up, instinct kicked in and I pulled through."

Before Katherina had even finished buttoning up the blouse on the dress Hanji was pulling her from behind the dressing screen.

"There is somebody you should meet."

* * *

_Authors Note: Sorry this chapter was so short. Between working two jobs and thinking of ideas to write I don't get a whole lot of time to actually write. Chapter 4 is already in the works and you can expect big things from it!_


	4. Chapter 4

As Hanji dragged Katherina through the dining hall a hush fell over the entire room and she watched as people turned to their neighbours, whispering behind their hands. Hanji stopped abruptly at a table where a group of teenagers sat. Although none of them were whispering, their eyes still widened at the site of her.

"Eren? I think it's time you met Katherina. You two seem to have a lot in common."

The boy called Eren stood up and extended his hand towards her. When she didn't react, he let it drop awkwardly.

"Good to meet you…"

"Oh, sorry. I guess I'm still not good at talking to people."

A face at the table peeked around a blonde haired boy and Katherina instantly recognized Sasha, the girl from the night before. It appeared as if she had been preoccupied with stuffing soup into her face when the pair had first approached the table.

"Eren," Sasha called. "Katherina has some really interesting stories you'd probably want to hear! She was telling me last night."

Eren's head swung around to smile at Katherina and she blushed softly and looked down. Although he was far too young for her, she had to admit that he was the type of boy she would have chased back in her home village. His dark hair and his slim build paired with the muscles he had built from training made him a prime candidate for a flirtation from any of the girls here. But as he moved back to his seat she realized why the other girls must be keeping their distance.

A tall girl with black hair that hung in her face and a red scarf was at Eren's right hand and by the way her eyes followed him as he walked back to his seat, Katherina knew that the boy must be hers.

"Sit with us!" a boy with a shaved head gestured to an open space between him and a taller boy. "I'm Connie, and the horse face beside you is Jean."

The boy on her other side choked on his food and his face turned red with embarrassment. "Connie I swear to god" –

"I'm Armin," the blond boy told her with a smile. "This is Krista and Ymir," he explained further, pointing to the two girls beside him who were eagerly chatting to one another, oblivious to what was going on. "Oh, and that's Mikasa." He was pointing to the quiet black haired girl beside Eren.

"I'm Katherina," she said. "But I guess you all probably already heard that."

"Oh, we've heard all about you!" Armin was smiling excitedly at her in a way that made it impossible not to smile in return.

"But it's what she knows that you're going to want to hear all about," Hanji spit out. Nobody had realized she was still standing by the table. "I've been talking to Katherina all morning and Eren, I think you two would make a hell of a team. This girl fought titans without 3D maneuver gear and!" –

Hanji paused for effect before continuing. "And she also has the same passion you seem to have."

Eren looked excitedly between Katherina and Hanji until Hanji excused herself to go eat something.

"You really think we can defeat all the titans?" Eren blurted out.

"Wait, what?"

"Here we go again," Jean mumbled shaking his head.

"You're going to join the Survey Corps right? With your skills and Mikasa's and Levi's we can kill every last one of them!"

Katherina was beyond confused now but Eren didn't seem to notice. He was already launching into some speech that clearly everyone at the table had heard more than a dozen times. Finally, after a few moments the dark haired girl pulled Eren to sit back down and gave him an icey look to quiet him.

"What is it that you said to Hanji that has her so interested in partnering you with Eren?" Her voice was soft, a gentle whisper.

"Oh, uh. I'm not sure really… The last thing I remember saying to her was… Was that I did what I did to survive because it was the only choice I had. Once the walls of my village were gone it was kill or be killed. I choose the second option."

Mikasa and Eren exchanged a glance.

"Do you think that here behind these walls we should consider ourselves safe?" Connie asked her.

"I suppose not. For years we considered ourselves safe in my village and that did us no good. Your walls may be higher, stronger, and more patrolled than ours were, but anything at moment could change that."

"Did you know our walls were breached? Not once, but twice," Eren asked.

Katherina shook her head in response. If the walls had been breached before, how was it that so many of these people managed to stay calm? How was it that they were still alive?

Eren stood up, leaving his food tray on the table. "Come with me, I'll explain how it happened."

* * *

Two hours later Katherina was still sitting in front of the map in a classroom absorbing how the entire situation had happened. Unlike her own villages, this area was walled many times over, so when titans took over one area, the people retreated to the next wall. Eren had explained that this didn't stop casualties and thousands of people dying. In fact, he stated that many people who had retreated behind the walls had been forced back out due to food shortages and were ultimately devoured by titans.

"The titans take everything. I'm going to kill them all."

Katherina nodded. She could see Hanji had thought that she and Eren would make a good team. With her resilience and Eren's passion, not to mention Mikasa's skill and Armin's intelligence, the four of them could be unstoppable. But she wasn't entirely sure she was ready to offer up her life just yet. She had spent the last two years on the run, fighting constantly. And now that she had some time to feel somewhat safe these kids wanted her to return to the fight as if it was nothing? I may be resilient, she though, but I'm not stupid.

"You don't have to join us yet," Armin offered, as if reading Katherina's thoughts. "Besides, Levi will have to train you. I bet Hanji isn't even done questioning you yet!"

Katherina masked a sigh of relief. It wasn't that she was afraid or unwilling, she'd gladly offer up her body to the Survey Corps if it meant that one day people would see a dream like Eren's come true; a titan free world! Thankfully though, Armin was right, as a few moments later Hanji appeared in the doorway of the room, Corporal Levi standing on her left side, a full head shorter than her.

"So have we made friends?" Hanji questioned in her usually cheerful tone. Beside her the Corporal looked even more bored than usual.

"We were just explaining to Katherina about the wall system here and giving her some information before she joins the Survey Corps!"

"Tch."

All five people in the room looked at Levi.

"A village girl doesn't have what it takes to join the Survey Corps."

Katherina was busy staring daggers at the man when Hanji spit out, "Yes, because two years fightings titans without a team or advanced weapons is just proof that she can't fight them."

In a way Hanji was right. Katherina had spent the last few years avoiding confrontation with the titans as much as possible. There were occasions that she had gone two or three days without seeing one. But those were her lucky days and even when they occurred she could never be too careful; she could never let her guard down for one moment.

"If you think I'd be so pitiful why don't you train me then?" Katherina challenged just as the Corporal was turning to leave. A smirk appeared on his lips.

"You couldn't keep up. Remember what happened last time?"

Katherina was angry now. She stood up, shoving the table that was a barrier between her and Levi. She took his ridiculous cravat in her fist and brought him right into her face.

"You want to see how strong I am? I'll prove I have what it takes, right here, right now."

"Katherina," Hanji pleaded.

"Tch. Fine brat. We start first thing tomorrow. And if at any point I believe you can't do it, we'll be through."

Katherina released the Corporal and he straightened his cravat before turning and leaving.

"I guess you'll be stuck with me then," she snipped at him as he left.

* * *

"Are you crazy?!" Armin asked her as the same group as before at diner together. "Nobody talks to the Corporal like that."

"He didn't even punish her?" Connie asked, bewildered.

Katherina just shrugged.

"I'm sure she'll get more than her share of punishment tomorrow," Jean piped up. "Oof," he doubled over as Katherina delivered a blow to his ribs.

"He doubts everything about me," she mumbled.

"He's just testing you," Armin laughed nervously. "We all had to go through it in training."

"Yeah, but not from Levi," Eren mused.

"You know him better Eren," Mikasa said thinking out loud. "What do you think his preoccupation is with Katherina?"

Eren was stroking his chin in thought. "It's hard to say. I may know him better than the rest of you, but Hanji and Erwin know him best. I only know his tactics against titans."

Mikasa and Katherina both nodded in unison when Jean decided to add another smart ass comment.

"Maybe he just wants you."

"What?"

"You know, wants you, wants to spend some alone time with you in his private room… Cravat-les..," he said wiggling his eyebrows.

"Oh!" Katherina couldn't help but blush. An odd sensation was rushing through the pit of her stomach when all of the sudden their topic of conversation walked into the dining hall with Hanji and a few others. This made Jean begin to laugh and that in turn made the Corporal and his surrounding group glance at the table.

"He's looking right at you," Jean hissed, still laughing.

"Oh my god," was all she could say as her face turned an even deeper shade of red. Katherina tried to hide by shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth but she could see that Hanji was headed her way and Levi was coming with her.

"So!" Hanji exclaimed as she approached the table. "Have you been talking with everyone about what it's like to be in the Scouting Legion?"

Katherina nodded, her mouth stuffed and her face covered in potato but at least it was no longer bright red.

"Hey Hanji, are there any rules about having relationships with your superiors? Just curious," Jean asked, winking at Katherina. Her sharp intake of breath caused her to inhale her mashed potatoes and she started to choke.

"Katherina, are you okay?" Armin asked.

"Fine. Just. Excuse me." she managed to wheeze, getting up and all but running from the dining hall. Jean sat at the table chuckling to himself.

* * *

Katherina sat in her room alone for the rest of the evening, stewing about Jean's comment. She hoped it came right back and bit him in the ass; Hanji would think he was referring to her maybe. Despite the overwhelming exhaustion that pinned her bones to the mattress she got up and crossed the room to where the two sketch pads had landed. She had pitched them in corner when she first walked in, still steaming with anger. They were the only things she could throw or break without getting into trouble.

At first her embarrassment had kept her from peeking at Levi's sketch. She was embarrassed to admit that she had taken a few liberties while drawing his portrait; in truth she had no idea whether or not he was muscular under his uniform. She became even more flustered as she realized maybe she had wanted to know. She was mostly embarrassed because what if Jean was wrong and Levi got the wrong impression of her? He already thought she was weak, not well trained enough to be part of his squad, and now he'd think she had some sort of school girl crush on him. She sighed as she picked up his sketch book. Her curiosity was going to get the better of her this time. Not that she would admit that to anybody.

And there she was. Though she hadn't really glanced in a mirror until recently, she knew enough from the reflections in rivers and streams of what she looked like. But she had never seen herself laid out so neatly; without the shimmer of the sun or the ripples or the current. Her collarbones jutted out from too long without food and her shoulders sat rigged, as if waiting for a fight. He had even outlined the scar on her neck where she had fallen out of a tree and sliced herself with one of her twin swords. She had been lucky that it hadn't been anything worse or that she hadn't been a few inches higher. Her hair hung down to her waist, longer than ever from two years of wandering. She had been meaning to cut it; maybe she'd get Hanji to do it for her.

When she got to her face she seemed almost surprised. The woman on the page was very pretty, almost bordering on beautiful. Although most would probably say her nose was too wide. Her mouth wasn't creased the way she had imagined it; from the constant tight-lipped line it formed when she held her breath, lying in wait in a tree to strike. And her brow was smooth, no lines etched in where she had been sure they must be permanent. Instead her face looked peaceful, calm, like she was content. Her lips were that perfect shape she recalled her mother's being; full but still small and her cupid's bow dipped low. Her eyes were soft and even though he had shaded the dark circles that she knew rested under them, she still looked like the most she needed was a good night's rest. The woman Levi had drawn didn't look like a woman who had spent the last two years fighting for her life, but rather a woman who was comfortable sitting in a nice country home knitting while a cat played at her feet. Katherina wondered if she had once looked like this, before the titans had slaughtered her village.

* * *

_Author's Note: This shit's about to get good y'all. I was going to post it all at once bit I'll give you just a little taste of what's to come. Katherina has some serious attitude issues toward Levi and he's not going to like it. _


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning Katherina awoke, bleary eyed, and still exhausted. The three hours she had managed to rest as dawn crept closer were better than nothing but as she used the wash basin by her bed she could see how bloodshot her eyes were in the mirror. She tilted her head back, blinking as she splashed the icy water onto her face, hoping that it would bring an alertness; any inadequacy would bring Levi down on her head on her first day of training and she knew he would show no mercy. He didn't believe she could train with the same calibre as the rest of his squad; she'd show him. But she couldn't do it still half asleep.

She descended the stairs to the mess hall twenty minutes later wearing her training uniform and her long hair plaited down her back. Armin and Mikasa were walking just in front of her and Armin motioned for her to sit with them again. Moments later Jean took the seat directly across from her and she glared at him over her breakfast. He leaned back as if he didn't notice.

"So I didn't see the Corporal at all last night. Odd, since he's usually waiting to punish somebody for something. I wonder where he could have gone off to."

"Jean, that's enough. It's getting old," Eren interrupted as he took his place between Mikasa and Katherina.

"You have something to say Jaeger?"

"Uh, yeah Jean, I think he just said it…" Armin put in, trying not to snigger.

With no clever comeback, Jean started shovelling eggs into his mouth, staring down at his tray.

"How do you feel about starting training today Katherina?"

She looked at Armin as he asked the question but somehow she wasn't sure how to answer. It was still so odd and uncomfortable for her to be around people, let alone people who were so accepting. Even as a child she had always been a bit of an outcast, but here these people were truly interested in being her friend and getting to know her. Even if she hadn't spent years alone in titan territory, she still would have been taken aback at this group who had so clearly adopted her into their circle.

When she didn't respond Eren chimed in, "I remember my first few days of training. D'you guys remember how I thought I was failing at using the 3D manoeuver gear?"

Mikasa smirked and looked at Katherina. "He kept falling on his face."

"Yeah and he was begging everyone to tell him their secret!" Armin giggled.

"Hey, it's not funny, I thought my dream of killing titans was going to die!"

"So what happened?" Katherina asked, managing to crack a smile at the story.

"His gear was damaged. He had spent two whole days practicing and finally they switched out his gear and got to the root of the problem."

"It was still hilarious," Connie poked at Eren

"Shut up guys."

Christa and Ymir walked into the mess hall then, and Christa approached the table all smiles.

"Oh wow Katherina! Your hair is so beautiful and long! I didn't notice until now," she said running her hand gently over Katherina's braid. This elicited a scowl from Ymir.

"Yeah, I guess I just never got around to cutting it when I was in titan territory. And now I can't imagine cutting it off. It's the only thing that ties me to my village; all the women there had such long hair. Even some of the men too." She played absent-mindedly with a loose strand that was curled around her face.

Christa smiled, "Well I think it's beautiful and it's good that you get to hold onto something from home."

Katherina smiled back when suddenly the loud, metallic scraping of a chair caused a hush to fall over the entire mess hall. When she followed her teammate's eyes, she saw Levi, having just risen from his seat, staring at her.

"Looks like it's time," Eren said, gesturing for her to follow him out into the yard.

Katherina tried to concentrate on slowing her breathing. She had no doubt she could do this, hell, she even could bet she'd be better than some of the Scouts here, but it was just the way Levi looked at her that set her on edge. He looked annoyed with everything already, but when it came to her he looked downright angry.

"Just relax and do your best," Armin whispered as they walked out the front gate into the yard.

"Let's do this," was all she responded.

"Tch," Levi tutted as he walked back into the castle ahead of Katherina and the rest of the people who had gathered to watch her first training session.

She was battered, bruised, and she knew she'd be sore tomorrow, but she could tell she had done better then Levi expected. She was much weaker than him, a product of malnutrition, so when it came to hand to hand combat he had pinned her every time. She had to remember herself each time he had landed on top of her, holding her body down with his own small frame. And just as she had to remind herself what was going on, she would catch Jean, out of the corner of her eye, chuckling to himself.

"Wow Katherina, that was a pretty good first day," Eren complimented her. Mikasa and Armin nodded in agreement.

"It was okay," she allowed. "I need to work on my physical strength. And eat more."

"Yeah I bet the Corporal could feel your ribs every time he landed himself right on top of you," Jean said as he jogged up to the group.

Katherina rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about it. If any of us had gone hand to hand with Levi on our first day we would have lost too. Well, except for maybe Mikasa."

"Thank you all, really, but I'm going to have to be harder on myself if I'm going to get better. You all had three years to prepare and I only have three weeks before our first scouting mission."

"Well, tomorrow Levi and a few of us are training you to use the 3D maneuver gear, right? So how about after dinner we'll all meet back out here and give you some more practice?" Connie offered.

"Really? You guys would that for me?"

The group nodded. "Go grab some food and get some rest. You're going to be working through today's pain tomorrow so you should at least try to erase those bags under your eyes," Christa said smiling.

Three succinct knocks on her door woke her up and it took Katherina a moment to gather her thoughts before it hit her that she had been sleeping. She pulled on a shirt before hauling the heavy wooden door open to reveal Jean.

"Oh, I thought you would have been awake," he spoke, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So did I," Katherina murmured in response.

Jean nodded but didn't say anything in response and the pair stood in an awkward silence for a few moments.

"Was there something you needed Jean?" Katherina finally prompted.

Jean fumbled with his words and his face grew red beneath the shadows of the hallway behind him. Katherina arched her eyebrow as she watched Jean curiously. Finally he spoke properly.

"I just wanted to say that I was sorry for taunting you about Levi. I guess I just…"

"Yes?"

"I just didn't know how to…"

"Oh spit it out Jean I haven't got all night."

Suddenly she felt his hands on her skin; one winding itself around her too thin waist and the other reaching up to support her neck. And then suddenly Jeans lips were pressing against hers. At first she was shocked. This had been the last thing she had expected from Jean. Her shock quickly melted into desire; it had been so long since the last time anybody had held her like this, since anybody had wanted her. But all of that disappeared when from down the hall she heard a throat clear, a sound that was becoming all too familiar. Jean broke the kiss as their Lance Corporal approached.

"Corproal Levi," Jean said, snapping into a formal salute, fist over his bare chest, since he was in his pajamas.

"I suggest, Cadet, that you get back to bed and stop harassing our newest recruit."

"Yes, sir," Jean squeaked before scampering off down the hall to his own room.

When the Corporal glanced back at Katherina she had her arms folded across her chest as she looked right into his icy glare.

"So, how long were you watching," she asked. She wouldn't be able to relax until she knew that he hadn't heard the first part of the conversation. If he knew Jean was teasing her about him he would assume there was some foundation for it and she could tell he was the type of man to use it against her in training.

"Long enough to know that you're seven years older than him."

"What is your point, Corporal," she spat at him.

"Technically you're still a prisoner of the King and therefore should not be fraternizing with my Cadets."

"You just said to Jean I was your newest recruit and last time I looked around I saw plenty of your cadets 'fraternizing'!" Okay, the last bit was a lie, she had only seen one couple and heard various flirtations but she wasn't going to let Levi win this round.

"I am your ranking Corporal and whether you are a Cadet or a prisoner you are still under my command and my judgement. Was your weak performance today a product of your infatuation then?"

"Excuse me?"

"If you can't focus on fighting because of a school girl crush then perhaps you won't be of any use to us at all. Maybe we should end your training?"

"I am not unfocused! I am tired and I am sore and tomorrow I am going to be better than I was today. If you think you can take me down again tomorrow," she said leaning as close as she could to his face, "give me your best shot."

Levi returned her intensity, a sarcastic grin on his face as he leaned in even closer and whispered, "Oh, we shall see."

With that the Corporal turned on his heel and walked away, the long shadow of his short frame finally disappearing after he turned a corner to the stairwell. Katherina groaned, knowing she was going to pay for that tomorrow. But she also knew that she could be better tomorrow, she could focus her energy now that she had slept. She turned and walked slowly back to her bed and then stopped suddenly. For a moment she had been so filled with anger towards Levi that she had completely forgotten what had led up to his appearance.

She reached her fingers to touch her lips. Jean had kissed her. Jean had come to her in the middle of the night, shirtless, and kissed her. But why? And why had she enjoyed it so much? She had known he was younger than her, but she had guessed his age to be around eighteen or nineteen. He had at least six inches of height to her short stature, but she had ever imagined he was only fifteen! Realistically, in the world they lived in, age was probably relative; fifteen year olds were dying in fights against titans every day. But at the same token, it made her feel almost perverted to think that she had felt any sort of desire or attraction to Jean, now that she knew his true age.

She sighed. None of this mattered if though. If she didn't stay focused on her training Levi would surrender her to the government and she'd go back to being nothing more than a prisoner; who knew what that entailed? She flopped onto her bed, aware of how every inch of her body was sore, and no matter how soft the bed was compared to the stones and leaves she had once slept on, she was going to continue to be sore. She stretched out her back, letting her shoulders and each spine pop into its proper place and then she rolled over. Within moments she had fallen back asleep.

"You look well rested Katherina," Armin commented as the group walked out into the training area.

"Yeah," she answered stretching her arms above her head. "I actually slept almost the entire night."

"Bet it's been a while since you got to do that!" Eren said.

"Only about two years, no big deal."

"Hey horseface, who punched you in the face?" Eren laughed as Jean joined them.

"Shut the fuck up Jaeger," he grunted, glancing briefly to Katherina.

She blushed; she couldn't help it. Thankfully no one noticed, as they were just coming up to where Levi was standing, a small forest at his back, and a set of 3-D maneuver gear lying by his feet.

"Shit," she whispered. And it wasn't because she was nervous. Her eyes moved from the gear lying on the ground to the equipment Levi was currently putting on. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to reveal the muscles of his forearms, which flexed each time he moved and tightened the straps on his legs. The leather on his thighs seemed to strain as he kneeled down to pick up the gear and she didn't even realize he was handing it to her until he cleared his throat and thrust it into her fumbling hands. Did she really just get distracted by the muscles of her Corporal's thighs? Shit.

She grabbed the gear from him in annoyance. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Tch," was the only response she got as Levi took a few steps back, crossed is arms, and looked at her expectantly. Did he really expect her to know how to put this stuff on without help? Apparently. She raised an eyebrow at him and he scowled. Well then, she thought, I guess I'll just have to use him as my model. Or maybe she was just looking for an excuse to ogle him again. Either way, she wasn't about to let him watch her fail at something.

After a few minutes of struggling, she saw Christa step towards her in an attempt to her offer help but Katherina shook her head, blowing the hairs that fell in her face from the motion. She was going to do this on her own even if it took her all day.

It didn't take all day but it did take almost an hour. She could tell Levi was getting impatient but she was pretty sure she was almost done. The leather straps were as tight as she could get them on her bone-thin thighs; she hoped the three extra portions of oats Mikasa and Christa had gotten her this morning would soon change that. The blade holders dangled off her hips and the chest straps that held the air containers to her back crossed over back and chest. She was embarrassed by how much space they had, her breasts had significantly shrunk during her time in titan territory. At the time she hadn't thought much about it, but now, as Levi and his entire team was watching her slide the leather straps over her starving frame, she was becoming increasingly aware of how tiny she had become.

She gave herself a final once over, comparing her work with Levi's own gear before she finally decided she was done. She was about to salute to signal him she was done, but she thought better. Instead, she cocked her hip, plastered a crooked smile on her lips and acted far more confident about her work than she had any right to be. She could tell this annoyed the Corporal; perfect.

Unfortunately she didn't get the gratification of a response though, instead he gave her an annoyed nod and shot off into the cover of trees behind them. Of course, just when she thought she was keeping up, he had to put her right back in her place. Katherina glanced over at the Cadets and other scouts only to see them smiling. Christa flashed her a quick thumbs up and Eren gave her a nod of encouragement. Alright, she thought as she turned towards the forest Levi had just disappeared into; she could do this, couldn't she? Besides, the maneuver gear must make things a hundred times faster than climbing trees.


	6. Chapter 6

She rubbed her eyes and the motion brought her attention to the soreness of her arms. As she woke up, she realized it wasn't just her arms, but as she flexed each muscle, the dull aching echoed all the way down until she reached her ankles. Instead, one of them shocked her with a scalding pain and she hissed in reaction. A sigh reached her ears from across the room and Katherina didn't even have to bother looking up when the chair creaked to know that Levi was walking towards her bed.

Wait, this wasn't her bed… Where was she?

"You're an idiot."

His words didn't hurt her at all, instead she rolled her eyes at him and laid back on the pillow behind her. She wouldn't have to ask how she hurt herself, or how bad she had been at using the 3D maneuver gear. Katherina knew Levi would tell her, in great detail, how much of a failure she was and how she was wasting his time.

"You were doing well until you got cocky."

For a moment, she could have sworn her heart had stopped.

"I, what?"

"You got cocky," Levi sneered.

"No, no. The other part. The first part."

Levi turned from her then and started making a fuss over miniscule traces of dust on the window sill.

"Did you just say I was doing well, Corporal?" Katherina was grinning now.

Levi cleared his throat but still refused to look at her as he spoke, "You're an idiot, you got cocky and you undershot and you fell. Your ankle is broken which makes you useless to the squad."

"Oh, well, you must be overjoyed then," she spoke with the attitude that Levi was becoming accustomed to.

He grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose before whipping around and glaring at her.

"No, I'm not happy. I'm trying to train you, to keep you here, to keep you safe."

"Safe from what? Last time I checked, I did pretty well on my own."

"Katherina you just fell twenty five feet out of the air, all because you got competitive, and you want me to believe that you could take care of yourself?"

"What is your problem?" Katherina was furious now. She had spent two years alone, in conditions that most would never have survived a day. Levi may be humanity's strongest, but he should be able to see that she was stronger than the average human herself.

Levi was glaring at her now; she had rendered him speechless. He turned on his heel and left the room. He wasn't going to answer to her, a girl who couldn't even get through her first days of training. He walked down the hallway until he reached the staircase, but instead of going down, he turned to the left and walked until he reached Katherina's door. He took a deep breath before walking in. He knew it would be empty but he was still nervous for some reason. He looked around the room, trying to find the object of his intentions, but coming up empty. He walked further in, opening drawers and cupboards. Nothing. He sighed, sinking down on to her bed. Who was acting like a school girl now?

Something under her pillow caught his eye. He moved it only to find the two sketch pads underneath. The first was his drawing of her, and underneath it was the sketch pad she had been using, but five or six papers were folded over the back, all of them creased and heavy with charcoal. He was looking at complex doodles of squad members now; in the left corner, Christa and Ymir appeared to be cuddling happily, on the bottom, Mikasa, Eren and Armin were sitting on the grass, and taking up most of the page was a doodle of about half the squad, standing in various positions, but looking at something together.

Curious, he decided to go back in the book, what else had she drawn? There was a picture of a woman he didn't recognize, but based on her features she might be Katherina's mother, A picture of Mikasa whispering something to Eren and him smiling, a drawing of Jean which Levi was tempted to tear out of the pad altogether. But then before he flipped back to the original drawing, he came to the second page which was full of rough sketches and doodles of himself. He examined each one, before turning back to the first page where she had drawn him shirtless.

_What was his problem?_

* * *

Katherina was laying on her side, her back to the door, when Levi walked back in the room. When she didn't move at the sound of his footsteps he assumed she was asleep.

"Ready to tell me what your issue is?" she asked, startling Levi into dropping the two sketchpads he had brought with him. Ha, so much for humanity's strongest, she thought. When she noticed what he had dropped he thought he saw her face flush.

"I saw that you drew other things. You didn't draw anything other than your life here though."

"I see you're still avoiding the question," Katherina retorted sitting up.

"Will you draw your village for me?" Levi asked, his face softening slightly.

"I guess that depends…"

Levi waited.

"You're seriously going to ignore me?"

More silence. Finally Katherina sighed.

"Fine. I'll draw my village if you draw me yours."

Levi's brows knit together in that particular way she was beginning to become accustomed to.

"Or city, or whatever you call them here. The place where you grew up. Eren and Armin explained the system here, the walls and stuff and how there are different towns and villages and districts. I'll draw you my village if you draw the place you grew up. Fair is fair."

Instead of answering Levi picked up his sketchbook and moved across the room into an armchair. Katherina sighed, rolling her eyes in response. She reached for her own sketchpad, drawing her knees into a cross-legged position until she felt the pain shooting through her left ankle. Instead she maneuvered herself so she was laying on her belly and flipped through to a blank page. Shit, that meant he had obviously seen the pictures of Jean… So much for proving she didn't have some dumb school girl crush on him. Which she didn't, obviously. He was way too young for her, and even if he was old enough there were more important things than guys. Like, oh titans? At least that's what she kept telling herself.

She could see that Levi was already drawing, his charcoal moving gracefully over his page, but she was stuck. She looked at the flat expanse of white that was the page in front of her and found no solace in the thought of her village. She set her charcoal down, touching it to the pad of paper, she drew the first line of the only image in her mind and within twenty minutes she lifted her charcoal from the paper dusting her hands off. Levi was still deep in his sketch, she noted as her eyes flickered up and then back down.

She knew she shouldn't have, but she did. Instead of the serene view of her village, a portrait of Levi was staring at her with icy eyes from the page. It was sexual too. His shirtless torso was propped on one elbow, head tilted to one side, expression as stoic as ever. His opposite hand appeared to be reaching towards the viewer, beckoning them to join him. It was an image of him she had accidentally ingrained in her mind; she had conjured it once or twice now in an effort to bring her the release she was sure would exhaust her, allowing her to settle into sleep each night.

Shit. And here it was, causing her to slip back into the fantasy, her eyes flicking to the man across from her who was still drawing frantically.

As silently as she could, so he wouldn't notice her movements, she flipped her pad to the next blank page and banished the thought of Levi beckoning her to do anything. Instead she pulled the memory of a fifteen year old boy pulling her into a hay loft at midnight, showing her the best view of the village under the stars. As she drew each mud brick house her mind playfully wandered to the other views the boy had showed her. He had been her first. That same night he had kissed her softly, and when she allowed his hands to wander over her body. It didn't take long before she found herself under his awkward, gangly body, her skirts hiked up around her hips. She couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like if Levi was the one pushing her skirts up –

"Are you finished?" a voice broke her from any further fantasy.

"What?" Katherina sputtered.

"Your drawing?" Levi questioned her, raising a brow over his icy grey eyes. He stood up and moved across the room, grabbing her sketch pad out of her hands and tossing his on the bed in front of her. She watched him looking intently at her page.

"This is where you grew up?"

She only nodded. Her heart caught up in her throat as he thumbed the page before it, the one with him half naked.

"What else?" he said, as he began to flip the page over.

She cut him off before he had turned it. "What is this?" she motioned to his drawing.

"The underground city," he sighed, setting her sketch pad down. "It's where the most impoverished people live. Most who are born there never leave. And they die very young. It's filthy."

Katherina let out a snort. "So you're some sort of rags to riches story then?"

Levi's face remained somber. "Something like that."


End file.
